The Confused Sherman Backers

It is obvious that the Sherman backers are so intent on vindicating him that they are totally confused.

Their wishful thinking is that Jim Bates will turn around the Packers defense and everything will be fine. Sherman should have no trouble handling the offense and with Bates' expertise the Packers will go deep into the playoff picture.

Everyone should know by now that the Packers are going choose their roster from basically who on hand now. Don't expect any high profile FA.

If Jim Bates turns the Packer defense around that would actually take Sherman the GM off the hook and place the blame on Sherman the HC. If Bates turns the defense around then obviously Sherman put enough talent in place to make it happen. Then Sherman the HC is exposed by lacking the competency of hiring the proper DC which we already know.

So the bottom line is that Bates will not turn around the defense and Sherman's contract will not be extended.

I dont think Sherman is the greatest coach in the NFL, but far from the worst. Between all 32 HC's i'd say he falls in somewhere around 10th (1 being the best) IMHO. I'd think you could say Bill Belachick is the best, i'd rate Jim Mora pretty highly (Partly because of Donatell though I guess his success last year could be) and loosers like Tony Dungy very near the bottom (the guy is just dumb man, dumb! He should just pick the equipment at the end of pracitce and let manning have the whole show).

Even if (god forbid) the packers have a loosing season this year I dont see Sherman getting canned. I think they could do very well this year, but I like to be optimistic. Even if he does get canned, who the hell else do you think we could get? If it did happen I know Jim Bates is very interested in becoming a HC and I think he'd make a very good one. But then we are left finding anouther DC again :shock: .

I dont think Sherman is the greatest coach in the NFL, but far from the worst. Between all 32 HC's i'd say he falls in somewhere around 10th (1 being the best) IMHO. I'd think you could say Bill Belachick is the best, i'd rate Jim Mora pretty highly (Partly because of Donatell though I guess his success last year could be) and loosers like Tony Dungy very near the bottom (the guy is just dumb man, dumb! He should just pick the equipment at the end of pracitce and let manning have the whole show).

Even if (god forbid) the packers have a loosing season this year I dont see Sherman getting canned. I think they could do very well this year, but I like to be optimistic. Even if he does get canned, who the hell else do you think we could get? If it did happen I know Jim Bates is very interested in becoming a HC and I think he'd make a very good one. But then we are left finding anouther DC again :shock: .

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Ted Thompson wants Mike Holmgren back in Green Bay. If not Bates may get the call. Bates would promote one of his guy's to DC.

Lets end the Mike Holmgren rumors right now: Brian Noble said on the Packers Radio Network last fall that Holmgren left Green Bay under poor terms. Translation: Bob Harlan didn't like how he left and he ain't coming back.

Second, there's much to do with the roster before Sherman's situation needs to be addressed.

My theory is this: Thompson is dangling a sword over Sherman's head with not Holmgren, but Bates.

And if all the Sherman haters didn't see this post elsewhere, lets provide some positive Mike Sherman news: from Packers Plus from J-S...
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Sherman recalls himself to call plays
Rossley OK with his role
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: June 15, 2005
Green Bay - Mike Sherman didn't send out a memo among his coaching staff. But Green Bay's head coach made it official last week saying he will call the team's offensive plays again this fall. Packers offensive coordinator Tom Rossley had handled play calling duties for more than four seasons, before undergoing an angioplasty last Oct. prior to Green Bay's game in Detroit.

With Rossley sidelined that day, the Packers put up 38 points and 434 yards. For the most part, Sherman handled the play-calling from that day forward.

"We haven't talked about it yet," Sherman said of he and Rossley. "It's not something we've discussed a whole lot. There may be games he does it, maybe. But I'm going to continue to do what we did at the end of the season."

Under Sherman's guidance, the Packers' offense took off.

In the first six games Sherman called the plays - all Green Bay victories - the Packers averaged 439.3 yards and 33.7 points per game. Only once in that stretch did the offense fail to record at least 400 yards or 28 points.

Green Bay slowed a bit over the final five weeks of the regular season, yet still averaged 407 yards and 29.5 points in the 11 games Sherman called the show.

In the Packers' first five games - in which they went 1-4 - Green Bay averaged a respectable 376 yards per game with Rossley calling the offense. But they weren't capitalizing and scored just 19.8 points per contest.

"I enjoy it," Sherman said. "I know what the offense is capable of doing. And I think the Detroit game was a unique situation where we were really rallying the troops. We had to win, the guys were laying it on the line, making plays and it was more about players making plays than me making great calls."

During the four seasons Rossley ran the offense, it certainly functioned at a high level. Between 2000-'03, the Packers ranked 15th, sixth, 12th and fourth in total offense and were 11th, fifth, sixth and fourth in points per game.

The 2003 unit scored 442 points, the second most in team history and set a single-season rushing record with 2,558 yards. That team also scored 53 touchdowns - tied for the second most in team history - and had the NFL's second-best red-zone touchdown percentage (65.4%).

Rossley, who turns 59 in August, feels fine today and is working as many hours as ever. But because Sherman seemed to have a real knack for calling plays, Rossley apparently will be Wally Pipp-ed.

If Rossley's peeved about the lesser role on game days, he wasn't letting on last week.

"Whatever it takes to win," he said. "That's how I feel. I can't comment about it any more than that."

Sherman said his decision to take on an expanded role has nothing to do with Rossley's abilities or the job he did in that role.

"I'm still always sharing thoughts with Tom Rossley, all the time," Sherman said. "Tom's a part of this offense as much as anybody. He's done a fantastic job.

"The best game we ever called was the Seattle game two years ago (a 35-13 victory in Week 5 of 2003). Five straight touchdowns in five possessions. This has nothing to do with Tom Rossley, that's for sure. He's solid. We couldn't be more pleased with him."

Sherman had to be extremely pleased with the job he did though.

Although Sherman was Mike Holmgren's offensive coordinator in Seattle during the 1999 season, Holmgren did almost all the play-calling. So Sherman's play-calling skills were on display for the first time last season.

Sherman likely has several reasons to keep calling the plays.

First, he was awfully good at it. Green Bay set a franchise record for both passing yards (4,449) and total net yards (6,357), finished fourth in total yards per game and fifth in points per contest.

Just as important, though, Sherman might simply want to control as much of his own fate as possible. Stripped of his general manager duties this off-season, Sherman now enters the final year of his coaching contract. While he and Rossley are close friends, Sherman might have decided that with his future on the line, he's not willing to put a key part of it in someone else's hands.

"It was something I found I liked and want to continue doing," Sherman said. "One thing about us offensively, and I think the 49ers were the last team to do it in '88, but to break the franchise rushing record one year, then to come back the next year and break the passing record, that doesn't happen very often.

"It shows tremendous balance in the offense. Tom's the offensive coordinator and he's done a good job keeping us balanced."

For the time being, though, Rossley will take a backseat to Sherman when it comes to play calling.

I appreciate the re-hash there, NET -- but, let's not go all gaa-gaa on this JUNE article....

One thing that most "pay-attention" Cheeseheads have to admit... is Mike Sherman is NOT calling all the plays and this article is STRICTLY media-hype, period!

I can almost guarantee, like sunshine, that if Mike Sherman takes off the "headphones".. You'll see a reprise of the Detroit Lions game from last year at Ford Field - you know, the one where Rossley stayed home.... Without Marty-Ball Wannabe chattin' away on that Headset to Mike Sherman... ?... We see a totally different Offense, period.

Tell us, NET - How is it we can smack the Falcons around so well, making sure to have one player focus on the QB... and then the next week - totally abandon that approach for ....what?.. well, whatever....eh? And, what about how we just jump out the gate and smack two (count 'em) 2 TD's on the boards without so much as breakin' a sweat against a Team that the Media can't wait to saay is the saving grace of the NFL this year..... Every damn time I turn around it's Keith Brooking this, or Keith Brooking that.... Where was he against Green Bay? And, we don't even need to waste time about comparing Ron Mexico against "Brett Favre" - he already had his chance..... and BLEW IT! Mexico was laughing AT the Packers in that Playoff game which killed the Lambeau Mystique a couple of years ago -- I didn't see him LAUGHING this year against Brett Favre - he got his come-uppance.... and it was sorely needed.

ROSSLEY IS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE WEEKLY GAME PLAN AND THE GAME-TIME PLAY-CALLING, PERIOD.

Anything you hear from Mike Sherman on this score is a deflection smack in the Media's face.. and they're helping keeping it under the radar..... (collusion?).

I'll tell ya this - I haven't bought the dribble, from Mikey on this since the 2nd game after that Ford Field gem victory and I ain't drinkin' the kool-aid now. The predictability and the marty-ball approach are all signature tactics of one Tom Rossley.